Warning, your tampon may cause cancer: FDA launches review of toxins in period products
The FDA just announced a plan to investigate a product that millions of women use every day: tampons.
The study comes in response to international attention being focused on menstrual products after a shocking study earlier this year found many popular brands contained toxic metals.
Long-term exposure to these heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and cadmium, has been linked to kidney and liver damage, miscarriage and an increased risk of cancer.
Washington State Senator Patty Murray is a leader in pushing for more research into tampons and other menstrual products.
Previous research has found that some brands of period underwear contain “eternal chemicals” that have also been linked to cancer, infertility and hormone problems.
Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington, announced the FDA’s decision to investigate the safety of tampons. She previously sent a public letter to the agency urging this type of research
Tests on 30 products purchased in New York, Athens and London found that some contained levels of arsenic, chromium and even lead. And all 16 metals tested were found in at least one tampon
Senator Murray has a history of advocating for consumer product testing, having previously introduced legislation targeting cosmetics and baby powder.
Announcing the review this week, she said: “These are products that millions of women use on any given day, so it’s important that we address any concerns about their safety.”
“For too long, women’s health has been overlooked and understudied. Since I’ve been in Congress, it’s been important to me to ensure that women’s health is a federal priority.”
Senator Murray said The FDA has promised to create an independent group that will review older studies on the topic to determine how widespread the problem is.
This looks at studies that measure how the long-term health of tampon users differs from that of users of other menstrual products.
They also announced that the Center for Devices and Radiological Health Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, a part of the agency, will launch a new study to determine how common heavy metals are in tampons.
Approximately 34 million American women use tampons, making them the first line of defense against menstruation for about 47 percent of women during their monthly cycle. according to Harvard researchers TH Chan.
It’s unclear exactly how heavy metals end up in these products. Cotton plants, which are used to make the tampons, appear to absorb heavy metals from soil, pesticides, fertilizers and wastewater, the Berkeley researchers said in their July paper, published in the Environmental International magazine.
It’s also possible that the metals entered the manufacturing process when workers applied chemicals to the tampons to whiten, disinfect and reduce odor.
Manufacturers have historically used heavy metals in everything from paint to batteries to cosmetics — so researchers have become aware of a wide range of health problems associated with them. If you swallow, inhale, or otherwise briefly come into contact with heavy metals, they probably won’t do you any harm.
But long-term exposure Heavy metals have been linked to brain damage and memory loss, breathing problems, liver damage, kidney damage, miscarriages, abnormal heart rate and an increased risk of cancer.
There has been no specific research into the possible effects of contact with these chemicals via a tampon. It is known that the vagina consists of very absorbent tissue, which makes it theoretically possible to absorb heavy metals.
Previous studies by watchdog groups such as the Environmental Working Group have raised concerns about the presence of perfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS or forever chemicals, in many household items, including tampons
When the Berkeley study was published in July, researchers reported finding lead and all 16 other heavy metals in all 30 tampons tested from 14 different brands.
The researchers declined to comment on which brands were tested, but did say they are all available at major retailers in the US, UK and parts of Europe.
The organic products they tested contained higher amounts of arsenic, while non-organic products contained higher amounts of lead.
Currently, the US regulates tampons as a medical device – which means the FDA is reviewing them for absorbency, strength, integrity and whether they promote the growth of harmful bacteria.
It is not clear whether specific testing is done for heavy metals.